No more shark fin soup in China?

Have the Chinese seen the light and stopped eating shark fin soup?

According to an article in the Washington Post that is exactly what is happening in China. The report states that  "consumption of shark fin soup in China is down by 50 to 70 percent in the last two years,” 

It goes on to state  "Thanks to a former NBA star, a coalition of Chinese business leaders, celebrities and students, and some unlikely investigative journalism, eating shark fin soup is no longer fashionable here. But what really tipped the balance was a government campaign against extravagance that has seen the soup banned from official banquets"

We talked about this a few months back, when China first announced that they would stop serving shark fin soup at state dinners and we are happy to see that the changes are happening faster than anyone anticipated.

We are always happy to report when things are changing for the better and want to thank the Chinese people for caring about our Oceans and the sharks that are such an important part of it.

Cheers,

Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver


About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com

Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd, Cowardice Under Direct Action Fire?

Interpol, the worlds police, have issued a Red Notice for Paul Watson titular head of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Watson is currently on the run exhibiting a simply stunning display of abject cowardice in the face of Direct Action.

This is a wake up call to his donor base both large and small. Your conservation money, the money you had hoped would be used for change, has been taken from you by a slick conservation media machine.

And while no one wants to get inside the mind of the Sea Shepherd faithful for fear they will discover an overweight hamster on a giant wheel wheezing to a techno version of Kermit The Frogs, "It's not Easy Being Green," one has to ask, why run Paul?

Paul Watson is more than happy to send his volunteers/unpaid reality tv actors into situations that ultimately put then in harms way while he himself is unwilling to even step into a court room where he would get to explain his Direct Action policies to the widest audience he has ever had.

Watson instead has crafted a series of inane excuses for his lack of,  "Doushitemo" (at any cost), which flies in the face of far too many of Watsons own stump speeches to his donor base where he regales them with tales of personal bravery on the high seas.

About that, as it turns out Watson is also not above faking his own assassination attempts to bolster his claims of conservation bravery. This is an organization that, "at any cost," spends donor money to pump out slick conservation media fakery, year after year, to garner more donations.

It's a Conservation Möbius Loop of the worst kind.

After 30 years Sea Shepherd has proved an abject failure as an organization for actual and lasting changes to wildlife.

They have become unfortunate parodies of themselves and in the minds of their donor base, "too big to fail." There's a meme out there that suggests, and is propagated by Sea Shepherd, that if they stop their Direct Actions the entire world will go to hell in a hand-basket because there are no other organizations out there to fill the void.

It's a lie.

In fact there are plenty of small boots on the ground organizations out there, thanks in large part to social media and smart phones, that need your help now. They are the real face of conservation, not the donor paid vacations in the South Pacific with Sea Shepherds elite Shark Angels - an ongoing conservation sham where the biggest hurdle this "elite team" faces has been the lack of access to dwindling supplies of glitter lip gloss and SPF 50.

You have a choice, dig a bit deeper in your search for a conservation organization org that delivers change, or continue to support a bloated increasingly irrelevant organization that at it's core (Paul Watson) fails to live up to the ongoing hype.

Paul Watson as an conservation organization leader has shown to the world that his organization does not deserve your respect, admiration, or money.

For many out there in the conservation sphere this is not news. For the Sea Shepherd faithful who like the idea of wearing pirate shirts and being part of something grand, this is gut check time.

Support something new, try something small, grow an organization that delivers conservation change and one that you know will spend your conservation money wisely. Fact is when any organization gets to over 11 million dollars in revenue resources and it's Conservation CEO is placed on Interpols Red Notice you have to wonder...are the worlds animals really being served here?

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Sea Shepherd Fiji's Shark Conservation Boondoggle?

South Pacific vacation idylls with donor money? Yup!

First of all an indulgence and a short education of the word, "Boondoggle."

Boondoggle - work of little or no value done merely to look busy waste, wastefulness, dissipation - useless or profitless activity; using or expending or consuming thoughtlessly or carelessly; "if the effort brings no conservation gain it is a waste"; "mindless dissipation of  donor resources."

Which brings us to the topic du jour, Sea Shepherds South Pacific Shark Conservation Campaign.

You know the one. It was preceded by several breathless press releases and this over-the-top conservation PSA which promised to kick ass and take names and numbers once the Sea Shepherds arrived in the South Pacific.

For the sharks!

This particular PSA was met with the following statement from the Ministry of Defense in Fiji and if you have not read it, read it, it's an eye opener. In short Fiji has several amazing shark conservation programs in place with hardworking folks and a plan to make Fiji a Shark Sanctuary.

These are long term, local grass roots programs, the best of shark conservation in action.

Sadly, like most of Sea Shepherds media outreach the reality on the ground for Operation Requiem could not be more different from their media hype and this post is directed at the Sea Shepherd donor base whose money pays for Sea Shepherd vessel assets to spend months in the South Pacific wandering about from island to island.

Is this how you envisioned your money being spent?

Instead of changing the world for sharks as the propaganda suggests by direct action where members of this elite (ahem) South Pacific team would "gladly trade their lives for sharks," they, in the fine tradition of missionaries the world over, are spending their time spreading the Gospel of St Paul The Conservation Redeemer to islanders, and even commercial long liners.

More on those commercial long liners in a minute.

In Fiji their efforts have been about as helpful as tourists who steal things from World Heritage Sites.

It's great "conservation work" if you can get it and we know of at least a half dozen or so hard working NGO's who at this very moment are saving actual sharks with boots on the ground efforts that could use a three month "vacation" to the South Pacific to "save" sharks.

Unlike Sea Shepherd, these NGO's do not have hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend pumping out simply fantastical cover stories or even have access to floating palaces to causally saunter from island to island with. These NGO's do not seek the mainstream media limelight, their staff do not demand a personality cult for species. They are the real deal vs grandiose "look-at-me-ain't-I-grand" conservation buffoonery at sea.

Once again Sea Shepherd's media vs actual conservation realities stand at stark contrast to each other. No sharks are being saved in this campaign but the weather is nice and the media they are pumping out looks great.

So back to the commercial long liners. In Fiji the proposed Shark Sanctuary is in its final decision process and for anyone in the shark conservation community who has fostered a shark sanctuary you know these final days are finger nail biting times where last minute deals, phone calls, and conversations hopefully lead to thousands of square miles of shark safe zones. A first step in a long and drawn out process.

These are precarious times, and anything can derail these last minute negotiations.

Enter Sea Shepherd and a post on their website from the elite team of Shark Angels who, if you remember, were asked in no uncertain terms to stay out of Fiji in the first place. They ignored that request and instead sat down with a local long liner who had his own anti shark sanctuary propaganda to spill forth.

Until Sea Shepherds Shark Conservation Campaign came along this Fijian long liner had no one willing to regurgitate his propaganda for him:

"Nathan worries the Fijian shark sanctuary proposed won’t be effective – the sharks will simply be taken elsewhere and legitimate operators will be the ones punished. He feels the use of wire traces should be prohibited (and enforced) around the world and it will decrease shark mortality by at least 80%. And he believes the fact none of his peers and the commercial fishing industry were properly consulted will result in its lack of the Shark Sanctuary approval in Fiji - in order to be successful, the legislation needs to consider all constituencies.  Pretty sound reasoning (regardless of whether I agree or not) for someone I had assumed was going to be without a clue."

You read that correctly. It is conservation garbage. It has also been mainlined directly into the propaganda machine that is Sea Shepherd for reasons that no one in the wider shark conservation community understands. It serves no purpose but to derail delicate negotiations in Fiji by a group of wandering shark media interlopers who are masquerading as actual shark conservationists.

Is this how you want your donor money being spent?

There's a choice people have to make. Support organizations that do real work and have real metrics for success when it comes to saving wildlife. Or fall for the hype and glossy PSA's that show action! pathos! and steel jawed animal savers with the wind in their hair, and just the right amount of lip gloss to catch the light.

You quickly find that 99% of the hype is good old fashioned conservation bullshit lead by conservation leaders who inspire their hand selected followers with their own brand of faked media moments for wildlife.

It has to end because the flip side to all this conservation noise is the donation button. It's the button Sea Shepherd hopes you press so they can continue on with their 30 year Boondoggle Machine.

Their machine is a well oiled beast that drops "elite teams" into hot spots around the world to take a few pictures, hype a few videos, and produce more media content next to that donation button.

The choice is ultimate yours and your wallets. Are you donating for changes to wildlife or another reality tv show?

In Fiji the choice is clear. We wish the Sea Shepherds well on their continued voyages and as a helpful hint make sure you use that 50 SPF sunblock. You don't want to start looking like someone from an actual NGO who has just finished planting 30,000 mangrove roots to create a shark nursery.

No, that would just be too horrible to contemplate and frankly nothing media worthy about it at all.

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Shark Fins, Shark Media, and those Frickin' Lasers

As expected the mainstream media is in a complete frenzy over the Sharks and Lasers video and story.

If you want to introduce a new way to add research packages to shark fins without drilling into the dorsal or jamming a titanium dart into a shark THIS is the way to do it.

Yes, there was another reason for attaching a laser to a shark and it took Luke Tipple and his crew to mastermind the media roll out.

Part of the ongoing debate within the shark community has been over invasive research packages on shark fins. The only way to solve that problem is to innovate your way out of it, and the only way to get your idea out there is to create a media firestorm.

At least that's the idea.

Clips on fins are not new, this fin clip is. Additionally the size of research packages are getting smaller and smaller each and every year. It is time for the research community to start developing multi-purpose packages that are even smaller and more robust for the fin clip methodology. 

We can innovate our way out of almost anything, it takes vision, leadership, and in some cases some good old fashioned stunt work.

For Mr.Biggelsworth here that green laser was pointing to a bright new future for shark research
and a generation of sharks without corroded wires sticking out of hides and destroyed dorsal fins in the name of science.

Shark Finning Legal in NZ? Peter Bethune we have a job for you

While the rest of the planet is moving in lock step to prohibit the sale and trade in shark fin, New Zealand remains a growing and isolated outpost, completely out of step with global changes.

Remarkably New Zealand not only allows shark finning, it has a managed and growing quota for shark fin with 100% of exports going to Asia.

We happen to know this first hand having spent 2010 in New Zealand discovering this fishery, and the statistics are not promising.

New Zealand protects just two shark species, the great white shark and the basking shark, while 28 of the 79 shark species caught commercially in New Zealand are listed as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Many of those species are finned and fins are sent to Hong Kong for shark fin soup. Additionally New Zealand exports tons of shark liver oil and shark cartilage as part of this Asia trade.

For New Zealand fisheries this is a sweet, if not ugly deal, as global markets are shutting down, and traditional shark fin regions are declaring themselves shark fin free, New Zealand fishermen enjoy a higher cost per metric ton of shark fin, applying more pressure for higher quotas.

Which begs the question, who's looking after sharks in New Zealand?

Recently Peter Bethune aka ex-Sea Shepherd staff member declared his public divorce from said organization in a very nasty falling out. Peter has moved on to focus on his new direct action organization Earthrace Conservation based in New Zealand.

As we're not in New Zealand, we nominate Peter Bethune to take on shark finning. These are his home waters, this is his backyard, and the perfect stepping stone to launch his new conservation org.

The good news is he has an ally in the Green Party so this should be a slam dunk.

California's Shark Fin Battle - When Blogging Matters

Got the following email this morning, one of many, from concerned members of the public and fans of shark conservation worldwide who, after reading our posts, contacted Senator Leland Yee for his stance on the proposed California anti-shark fin bill AB 376.

As we have long known blogging about the issues matters.

Kudos to all who sent a letter to Sen Yee. His sudden 72 hour reversal in position this week might have been due to your "collective" efforts.

Dear Senator Yee,

This refers:

California's Shark Fin Battle - "Culture" not on the table?

Being an outspoken South African, I am not too familiar with Californian legislation, nor "PC" and "Political Speak" - as I say what I mean, so your statement confuses me a tad.

Are you against shark finning and its consumption, and will you do everything in your power to stop this Marine Apocalypse, or do you think that its still OK in this day and age to consume non essential "food" with minimal nutritional value just because it is "cultural"?

If cultural is the operative word, then surely if your people can embrace modern technology [which they do with great gusto] why not remove an archaic social status anachronism and help save the planet?

I look forward to following your path.

Sincerely
George
George Askew
+ 64 [0] 220698361

To achieve the impossible it is precisely the unthinkable that must be thought and victory belongs to those that believe in it the most and believe in it the longest.

Bravo Mr Ramsay, Bravo!

Whatever your personal opinions on milk fed veal, freshwater eels, or even foie gras, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has done a solid for the shark conservation world - and for that we're grateful.

Facebook conservation groups recently lit up over Ramsay's new in depth television series on shark finning. Taking his somewhat angry Chef-i-Ness into the world of commercial shark finning in Latin America and beyond.

What he uncovered on his voyage shark conservation folks have known about for years - sharks are under siege.

This message has been getting somewhat lost recently as competing shark groups find themselves jostling for position, and the messaging about sharks has become increasingly partisan and wild.

No, the world will not "run out of oxygen if we lose all the planets sharks".

Where Ramsay wins, is in his ability to speak as an end user, an unbiased businessman who's livelihood depends on sustainable harvests and clearly the shark fin trade is not sustainable.

It's also nice to see his reaction, it is the reaction of plain disgust. Watching this series the viewer is there with Ramsay, on the front lines experiencing his discovery in real time.

It is a great format, the viewer is not on a journey with a self anointed "shark expert" and is not on the sidelines watching a reality television moment, Ramsay and his crew are clearly not here to entertain, nor are they here to enable Season Two, this raw, unfiltered, shark expose.

So kudos to Gordon and his crew.

The shark conservation world needed the boost, and coming from the outside you added a healthy dose of credibility to the effort.

BBC tackles shark finning in Mozambique

In the Indian Ocean, as elsewhere in the world, shark fishing has been increasing at an alarming rate with tens of millions being caught each year worldwide. Visiting a small community in Mozambique, where shark fishing has only recently become an established practice, Philippe Cousteau Jr and his team discover what is driving the trade:

Oceanic Whitetip Sharks - Hawaii

If you have not yet discovered iDive Sharks consider this an "insiders tip." This week Mark Oronzio shared his Oceanic Whitetip footage from Hawaii.

Increasingly rare due to fishing pressure and sought after for their overlarge fins these remarkable critters make better close encounter video.

Kudos:

Shredder - Shark Update 2009

Earlier this year we had reported that one of the most well known and charismatic sharks of Isla Guadalupe, "Shredder" had gone MIA.

Typically Shredder is one of the first big males to show up to the island by early August of each season. His arrival is a much sought celebrated event by our crews.

This year Shredder was no where in sight for the first three weeks of August speculating that he had met with "foul play" during his long migration from Hawaii.

Shredder did eventually appear in late September to "wild cheers" from our crews at the back deck and continued to stay with the shark diving fleet for the rest of the 2009 shark season.

He was even bigger this year and looked as healthy as any of the big males on site. Late to the party but exciting as always.

We said good by to Shredder in mid November of 2009 on our last expedition to the island. After close to a decade with these animal you get attached to them and they remain for us, more than just white sharks.

We look forward to 2010 with Shredder at Isla Guadalupe.

Brazil - Blue Shark Nursery?

With Blue shark (Prionace glauca) stocks plummeting worldwide, new discoveries like this one off the coast of Brazil might help turn the tide.

If protections can be put in place in time:

New evidence suggests a blue shark nursery exists in the Southwest Atlantic
near Southern Brazil, according to a paper accepted for publication in the
journal Fisheries Research.

Scientists Santiago Montealegre-Quijano and Carolus Vooren of the
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande monitored the composition and magnitude
of blue shark accidental catches by longline fishery operations off the
coast of Brazil. (At least something positive can come from such data.
Bycatch has really put a dent in shark populations worldwide.)

The researchers determined that large adult blue sharks were not present in
the suspected nursery region, only juveniles. Size appears to be very
important to life stage shifts in these sharks, as the small juveniles were
found to remain at the site until they reached lengths of around 4 feet or
more.

"After that stage," the scientists conclude, "the large juvenile males
disperse northwards, whereas the large juvenile females move to the south,"
and wind up going all the way to the southeast Atlantic off Africa.

The scientists added, "The subadult females move northwards in late summer
(March) to areas beyond latitude 25°S."

Complete Story

Shark News Roundup - RTSea Productions Blog

From RTSea Productions - this weeks shark news roundup:

Scotland to ban shark finning:
In a bold and welcomed move, Scotland has proposed a total ban on shark finning by Scottish or any other registered vessel operating in Scottish waters. European Union nations constitute the largest exporting group of shark fins to the Asian marketplace and their has been discussion for a new EU policy regarding sharks, but Scotland decided that there's no time like the present.

"As one of Europe's most important fishing nations we have a duty to show that we are serious about protecting the sustainability of our seas, their stocks and the wider marine ecosystem, not just through words but with action," said Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead.
(BBC News story.)

Shark nets to stay in Queensland:
According to the Brisbane Times, sharks nets in Queensland, Australia will remain for now. There had been discussion about their removal - albeit temporary - due to a higher number of whale calves that have been caught in the nets during the whale's migration season.

Shark control program manager Tony Ham says, "The program has been in place since 1962 and in that time we've had one fatal attack on a protected beach, at North Stradbroke island in 2006. There were a number of attacks prior to the program going in - some of those were pretty horrific and fatal. We believe the program does work."

Shark nets have often been controversial because on the one hand, they seem to prevent unwanted shark-human interaction, but on the other hand, it prioritizes the rights of humans to enter the ocean over the rights of sharks to be in their natural habitat.

Spanish supermarkets to no longer sell endangered shark:
Two of Spain's larger supermarket chains, Alcampo and Sabeco, have decided to no longer carry endangered shark meat in their stores, only distributing species that are not threatened (effectively eliminating all commercial shark species). One year ago, the same chains decided to stop selling bluefin tuna, which has been pushed to near extinction in European waters.

The stores are promoting the sale of sustainable or aquafarmed species such as talapia and farmed cod, in addition to working with smaller companies to supply mussels, trout, and salmon. In September, Spain's Ministry of Environment and Rural and marine Affairs initiated a ruling to begin on January 1, 2010 that prohibits Spanish fishing boats from taking thresher and scalloped hammerhead sharks - two species that have suffered major population declines.
(FiS Worldnews story.)

Petition to protect Lemon Sharks:
In the winter, lemon sharks congregate off the east Florida coast and with the demand of shark fins combined with the decrease in numbers of many other commercial sharks like the sandbar shark, the lemon shark is coming under consideration by local fisherman as a way to meet demand.

A coalition of scientists, divers, and shark conservation groups have enlisted the aid of Care2petitionsite.com to help circulate a petition to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, asking for the commission to take action on behalf of the lemon shark by adding the species to the Prohibited Species List. The coalition is hoping to generate 10,000 signatures and they are currently about a third of the way there. To sign the petition, click here.

Sharks Fin and Red Assam-Conservation?

Shark fin conservation messaging by the numbers.

Tea drinkers in Asia: 800 million

Sharks killed for fins each year: 70 million

Actual organic messaging opportunities that tie-in daily tea use with shark fins: 1

You are looking at "brilliance in a cup" a way of getting an eco message across an entire culture without the use of bull horns, placards, or expensive bus shelter posters. By enabling and messaging a culture's other consumables you back door your conservation message in a culturally benign manner. In many cases two and three times a day per consumer as tea use in Asia is a daily ritual with many repeat tea sessions.

We like it and kudos to designer Pablo Matteoda from Argentina. We're pretty sure this is a case of unintended consequences, but like most marketplace widgets, your market is defined by users and right now we know a waiting market of roughly 800 million.

Interested?

David McGuire, Filmmaker, Activist, Thinker

This morning David McGuire posted an excellent and very well thought out look into the pitfalls of direct action animal campaigns when the greatest divide is cultural.

To distill this thought down, imagine 22 Chinese Americans waving protest signs outside a McDonalds directed at the predominately white customers inside. "Meat is murder" "Cows are killed inhumanely for this meat". You begin to see why this divide becomes almost impossible to bridge while the salient fact of whites telling Asians what they should and should not eat remains on the table for discussion.

That's not to say it cannot be done. Following the masters of the game WildAid and their campaign strategy of mass communication with members of the Asian community is effective. The subtext here is campaign effectiveness:

Having briefly observed and filmed the Chinese Flower Parade kicking of the New Year in San Francisco, I was amazed at the colors, smells and richness of the Chinese community. San Francisco has the largest Chinese Community in the USA, and a walk down Stockton Avenue is a walk into Asia.

A demonstration by the Shark Safe Project and aided by COARE approached shark fin soup restaurants and came out on the streets passing out information, but the shark activists were overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of Chinese Americans flooding the narrow streets of Chinatown. Most passersby appeared indifferent, a few were angry, most just passed on without making eye contact. Even so, a hard core group of activists, many from out of the area gathered to pass out information for sharks.

Complete Post

Shark Conservation Messaging-Home Run

Got this today from Jeremiah Sullivan owner of Neptunic Shark Suits he really needs to get his own blog:

Shark Project is a German shark conservation organization.

They are also brilliant eco messengers. In tandem with Young & Rubicam they have come up with a POS that, in our humble opinion, is flawless.

Once you open this letter you get the following message "congratulations you just finned a shark".

Count us in for a $50.00 donation.

Shark Fin Du Jour-Sponsored by Yahoo! Inc

Our new weekly feature on Underwater Thrills:Swimming With Sharks is the "Shark Fin Du Jour".

It's a weekly look at Alibaba.com the NYSE of Shark Fin Products on the Internet-Sponsored by Yahoo! Inc.

We will take you into the individual sellers listed on that site and introduce the top companies, what species they sell and how many thousands of pounds of shark fins they have for sale on the global market.

Today our Shark Fin Du Jour is BTrade International who can source a staggering two tons of sharks fin per month:

Place of origin:	Bangladesh
Model No:	B.T
Fob Price:	FOB Chittagong, Air / Sea USD 1000~100000
Port:	Chittagong, Air / Sea
Payment Terms:	L/C,T/T
Minimum Order Quantity:	1 Ton Fish maws
Supply Ability:	2 Ton per Month 1
Package:	p.p bags
Delivery Time:	As soon Possible
Brand Name:	Shark Fin

June 2008 Commercial Shark Landings in Ecuador

The following numbers come from Instituto National de Pesca, Ecuador. These are the official reported numbers of shark Landings for June.

The actual numbers are much higher and do not reflect illegal shark fining where the carcass is dumped.

June 2008 :

Pelagic Thresher : 281,9 tons (t).
Silky Shark : 74,8 t .
Blue Shark : 53,7 t .
Smooth Hammerhead : 25,7 t .
Scalloped Hammerhead : 10,8 t .
Shortfin Mako : 3,0 t .
Carcharhinus spp : 0,5 t .
Thresher (Alopias spp): 0,2 t .
Brown Smoothhound : 0,1 t .
Bigeye Thresher : 0,1 t .

TOTAL : 450,8 t in the month of June 2008

Ref. : Instituto National de Pesca.

One country. One month. One total. 901,600 pounds of sharks.

U.S. Shark Conservation Act - Act Now!

Melanie from Shark Trust Wines sent in this email this morning.

While the rest of America celebrates the 4th today please take 5 minutes out of your day to do something for the sharks. They need your help more than ever:

U.S. Shark Conservation Act

The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to consider the Shark Conservation Act of 2008 on Tuesday, July 8. The bill aims to close loopholes in the national fining ban, prohibit the removal of shark fins at sea, and encourage international shark conservation.

U.S. citizens wishing to support the bill should contact their Representatives as soon as possible. To find yours, go to www.house.gov and type in your zip code in upper left corner of page.

Would Yahoo! Invest In?

Has the Internet search giant Yahoo! publicly invested in any of the following wild animal products?

1. Dried bear gall bladders?

2. Dried Black Rhino horn?

3. Dried Tiger penis?

4. Dried Sharks Fin?

If you answered yes to #4 you would be correct.

Now here's the kicker, how much would you imagine this California based Fortune 500 company has invested in the wholesale slaughter of millions of sharks for profit?

1. $10,000,000?

2. $50,000,000?

3. $75,000,000?

4. 1.2 Billion?

Again if you picked #4 you would be correct. Since 2003 Yahoo! has invested close to $1.2 billion dollars in Chinese web portal Alibaba.com home to the New York Stock Exchange of shark fins and shark products on the Internet. Direct sales through this site represent millions of sharks slaughtered live, just for their fins, while the rest of the animal is dumped back into the ocean.

To produce one ton of dried shark fin, an estimated 1200 animals are killed and then dumped.

Thus far Yahoo! has chosen to frame the issue and ongoing slaughter as a "cultural practices one". It would seem that Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang and Alibaba CEO Jack Ma choose only to recognize, invest in, and defend the more profitable "cultural practices" of Asia and beyond.

Hawaii Shark Fin Loophole-This Week 8400 Sharks

While it is illegal to harvest shark fins from Hawaiian waters...it is not apparently illegal to dry and process shark fins in Hawaii.

In this case 12 tons.

Hawaiian law allows out of state shark fins to land in it's ports, be processed and dried, and then shipped to waiting clients in Asia.

It's a classic loophole-and one that just recently surfaced in Hawaii this week.

Close to 700 sharks comprise one ton of fins. This haul equaled 8400 sharks:

State crews were called in to inspect a shipping container on Thursday after they got word it was filled with about 12 tons of shark fins.

It is illegal to harvest shark fins in Hawaiian waters but shipping documents reportedly showed they were caught overseas. The local company receiving them says they'll be dried here before sending them to Hong Kong. The manager at RC International says he's been doing this for 17 years and wondered why this shipment came under investigation.

"We have this container but we have to clear customs, we have to clear food and truck, we have to clear with Fish and Wildlife and then Matson delivers the container to us," said Rex Chan, Manager at RC International.